Leicestershire

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Leicester City right-back Ricardo Pereira will be available for the Foxes' trip to Chelsea on Sunday, Ruud van Nistelrooy has confirmed.

The defender has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the 1-1 draw with Ipswich in November, but the Foxes boss revealed he has now returned to first-team training.

Van Nistelrooy added: "This was his first week of full team training, so he will be available for selection. It is good news.

"One week of team training and we want to build him up, with common sense, and see how he goes. Then we can take it from there."

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Leicester have won just one of their past 11 Premier League away games against Chelsea, netting just seven goals in that time and never more than once in a match.

Leicester City have lost 11 of their past 12 Premier League games, losing four in a row without scoring and conceding at least twice, since beating Spurs 2-1 in January. The Foxes could lose five straight league matches by margin of two goals or more for the third time in their history.

Pedro Neto has been involved in four goals in his past four Premier League games (two goals, two assists), one more than he was in his first 20 appearances for Chelsea. The most recent game against Southampton was the first time Neto has ever scored and assisted in the same Premier League match.

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Leicester City academy product Ian Baraclough is hoping Ruud van Nistelrooy's side have used their 10-day break to "build some confidence back up", as the relegation-threatened side prepare to face Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton and Liverpool in their next six games.

Speaking on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast, Baraclough said: "You can clearly see the team are playing without massive confidence in the ranks. Five losses on the trot and two wins in their past 15 games is not great going into the final part of a season.

"But, and I think Ruud van Nistelrooy has already said this, five points is not insurmountable at this point in the season. No club in that bottom four are really hitting the heights.

"They have to go on a run now. They have to believe, as a club and as players, that they can go and put a string of results together.

"Teams aren't going to give Leicester City too much of a chance going into these next six games, but that might be the catalyst of them thinking: 'Hey, what have we got to lose?'

"But currently they look devoid of attacking threat and confidence, that's for sure. So these past 10 days will hopefully have been a really important time to build some confidence back up and to prepare for the Chelsea game.

"If you can garner a bit of togetherness and generate a bit of personality in this team, there is no reason why they can't stay in this division."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Chelsea (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Woyo Coulibaly is back available after missing out on the game against West Ham. The right-back has recovered from some "little bits" and he has "trained as expected" this week.

• The squad have "taken advantage" of their 10-day break from action: "We had a long week, with many days to work and look at the West Ham game. We will have had five sessions together to prepare for this game. It was important to work with the team as you have to recover from the bad result and rise again."

• He confirmed the squad has spoken about their "approach to games" and "how it should be" moving forward into a tough run of fixtures. He added: "This team is capable of doing it. We are not the only team in this situation, dealing with loss after loss, so we have to make sure we are ready for Sunday."

• Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca "knows the squad", after earning the Foxes promotion to the Premier League last season, but Leicester City's backroom staff have "the necessary information to be prepared" for their trip to Stamford Bridge.

• On the opponents, he added: "I watched their game yesterday [against Copenhagen] and I looked at how they play, their approach, the squad they have, the quality they have, and the fight they are in to qualify for the Champions League."

• He is aware of the "big task ahead" but is confident his team "will do everything possible to get a result".

• When asked whether every game from this point forward is a "must win" rather than a "must not lose", he responded: "The approach is - and has always been - to get the maximum amount out of the game and to always plan to be able to win. If you can't win then you want to protect the result." There will be a "similar approach" against Chelsea.

• There has been some speculation around the future of academy product Jeremy Monga, who has been "part of the training set-up" this season, but "the priority is to do absolutely everything" they can to keep him at King Power Stadium.

• The Foxes have already had conversations with the winger, his agent and his family about his future at the club, including plans to use the youngster during pre-season.

Listen to full commentary of Chelsea v Leicester on BBC Radio 5 Live at 14:00 on Sunday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

The latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast has landed.

Ian Baraclough, who came through the Foxes' academy, joins Jack Rafferty to preview Sunday's trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Enzo Maresca's Chelsea.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Daily Mail reporter James Sharpe believes those at the top of Leicester City deserve praise for the success they have brought the club, but need to answer the "legitimate questions and concerns" fans have about how the Foxes are being run.

Speaking on the latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast, Sharpe said: "It's wrong not to give them the credit they deserve for the fantastic times Leicester have had and the amazing things the club have achieved.

"Promotion, staying up, winning the title, Champions League football, FA Cup wins - they deserve credit for that and we should always be thankful.

"What that doesn't do is absolve them of responsibility and give them a free pass for what has happened since. There's a number of things that have been huge issues.

"Getting rid of Brendan Rodgers far too late had a massive impact on the club's future. Fumbling on the replacement and having caretakers in for two crucial games that went badly stunk of a club that lacked direction, planning and a clear vision of what they needed.

"They are responsible for a big part of the financial situation Leicester find themselves in. They have to take responsibility for the contracts that have been handed out.

"The complete scattergun transfer policy over recent seasons and repeated decisions that have left Leicester in such a tricky financial situation, where they're juggling PSR charges and narrowly escaping points deductions because of loopholes. You wouldn't expect these decisions to be made by a club like Leicester who have done such great things."

However, Sharpe's biggest concern is the lack of answers given from the club as to how things have gone so badly wrong.

"Leicester's owners were seen as the pinnacle of how to run a football club - we've gone from that to where we are now," Sharpe said. "A lot of the frustration from fans and journalists is their refusal to speak openly about their decision-making.

"Give supporters answers to these legitimate concerns. Questions need answering."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Leicester City's Jeremy Monga is a target for Manchester City but they will have to go through a tribunal to agree a compensation fee for the 15-year-old English winger. (Sun), external

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